Your View: Ron Paul stands against left and right

If I were to stand upon a soap box today and make an impassioned plea that the earth is indeed flat, I would be laughed at or probably just ignored. The world readily accepts the spherical shape of our planet, can see the circular, cyclical patterns of nature yet they don't apply a well-rounded theory to the political spectrum.

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By STEPHANIE PICKUP

southcoasttoday.com

By STEPHANIE PICKUP

Posted Jan. 13, 2012 at 12:01 AM

By STEPHANIE PICKUP

Posted Jan. 13, 2012 at 12:01 AM

» Social News

If I were to stand upon a soap box today and make an impassioned plea that the earth is indeed flat, I would be laughed at or probably just ignored. The world readily accepts the spherical shape of our planet, can see the circular, cyclical patterns of nature yet they don't apply a well-rounded theory to the political spectrum.

Voters are taught that a step too far to the left will march them straight into a communist parade and if they step too far to the right they will plummet into an anarchic abyss. Like the victims of some sadistic Pavlovian experiment, Americans have accepted a two-party philosophy that views our political spectrum as a flat line. You can only go left, right or just flop around in the middle until the political breeze sways you one way or the other.

When open-minded voters realize that the dead-end, flat-lined approach to politics is a rouse for the ideologues, they will discover the roundabout reality of truth. We are not required to choose a path of left or right that leads to perpetual war and erosion of liberty. We can unite around peace and freedom with a non-interventionist foreign policy; we can unite around presidential candidate Dr. Ron Paul.

For those of us who have lived the foreign policy of the United States, it is more than just a campaign speech or ideological point of view; it is the compass of our lives. There is a reason that our active duty military has contributed more to Ron Paul than all of the other presidential candidates combined; he is the only one that joins them in protecting and defending the U.S. Constitution.

Not only have both political parties placed a tremendous burden on the military family but neither seems to distinguish themselves from one another on the foreign policy issue. The only difference between the "compassionate conservatism" of George W. Bush and the "hope and change" of Barack Obama is the latter's more aggressive form of American imperialism; the peace candidate escalated the war in Afghanistan, increased drone killings and used our military to bomb Libya without congressional approval.

Regardless of party affiliation, political leaders continue to stick their noses into the business of other nations while ignoring the problems of our own country. Ron Paul understands how the unintended consequences of our worldwide presence and interventions have weakened our national and economic security. The U.S. military is stationed around the world, yet our homeland remains vulnerable with insecure borders and an overburdened military family. With billions of taxpayer dollars being used for nation building in foreign countries, our own nation is crumbling beneath the weight of a crushing debt.

Our current interventionist foreign policy forces Americans to pay not only financially but with their personal liberty as well. The government thinks nothing of using war to infringe upon the rights of its own innocent citizens. With horrific legislation like the Patriot Act, the United States has eased surveillance laws, allowing federal agents to bypass judge-issued warrants to track things like phone calls, bank records and emails.

In addition to supporting the Patriot Act, Barack Obama recently signed the National Defense Authorization Act, permitting the indefinite detention of American citizens without due process. The first African-American president has dealt a destructive blow to American civil liberties. As bipartisan support of the Patriot Act and NDAA demonstrates, the more conflict our government perpetuates the more liberty is confiscated. Ron Paul has been fighting for decades against legislation like this and understands that trading liberty for security is nothing more than a catalyst for tyrannical government.

Americans from all political backgrounds have become battle weary and skeptical of our meddlesome behavior around the world, yet many still pledge allegiance to their political party, not to liberty and a peaceful foreign policy. Instead of arguing about their differences, liberals and conservatives in search of lasting peace should be linked firmly together. As someone who served honorably as a flight surgeon in the Air Force and Air National Guard, Ron Paul would strengthen our military, support our veterans, end unnecessary and reckless wars, and restore the founders' vision of a strong and free America.

People who are ignorant of Ron Paul's constitutional philosophy will misrepresent his positions and label him as an unelectable "fringe" candidate. They like to call his supporters "crazy," but if "mainstream" politicians are the architects of our current economic and foreign policy disasters, I think you would be crazy not to.

Stand for liberty. Stand for peace and prosperity. Stand for the Constitution. Educate yourself and make an informed decision. Vote for Ron Paul to be the next president of the United States.